


Dear Future Self

by DrBenzedrine



Category: All Time Low (Band), Fall Out Boy, Mindless Self Indulgence (Band), My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, Pierce the Veil, Sleeping With Sirens
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Conversion therapy (sorry), F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Nonbinary Gerard Way, Trans Breezy Weekes, Trans Frank Iero, Trans Kellin Quinn, Trans Lindsey Way, Trans Patrick Stump, Trans Ryan Ross
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2020-02-07 18:52:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18614773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrBenzedrine/pseuds/DrBenzedrine
Summary: When Patrick is outed to his parents by someone he thought was a friend, they send him to a summer camp designed to make him be a girl again. Things don't exactly go according to their plan, though.





	1. Growing Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick's POV

Penelope tapped her foot against her desk, watching the clock. There were only a few minutes left in her last class of the day, and she was ready for them to be over already. She heard someone clapping and looked up to see the teacher watching her.

"Do I have your attention, Ms. Stumph?" she asked.

Penelope nodded. "Sorry, ma'am."

The teacher walked away and the blonde girl returned to looking at the clock. Someone tapped her shoulder, and she took the note from their hand.

"Meet me at the beach after school," Elisa had written. Penelope smiled and tucked the note into her pocket before it could be confiscated.

The bell finally rang and the students grabbed their bags, stampeding out of the classroom.

~~~

Penelope sat on the edge of the beach, looking out at the lake. Elisa sat beside her, skipping stones out into the water. Penelope watched as the other girl made one skip four times, and they both smiled.

"Nice job," the blonde girl said.

Elisa handed her a stone and Penelope skipped it. The stone bounced twice before sinking. Elisa watched it disappear beneath the surface of the lake and sighed softly. "I can't believe we'll be in our last year of high school this fall. It's crazy."

Penelope nodded and looked at her friend. "Have you thought about what things will be like when we leave Chicago?"

Elisa shuddered. "I don't ever wanna think about that."

Penelope nodded and picked up another stone. She tossed it out into the water and watched it skip.

"Can I tell you something?" they said in unison. Both of them giggled, and Penelope waved her hand, letting Elisa go first.

"I'm a lesbian," Elisa said, smiling at her.

Penelope nodded slowly, not surprised by what her best friend had said. "I figured, ever since middle school, when you got so obsessed with No Doubt that you covered your bedroom in pictures of them."

"You think Gwen Stefani made me gay?"

Penelope shrugged. "No, but I think she was the first girl you ever really liked."

Elisa nodded at that. "Fair enough. Now, what did you want to tell me?"

"I wish I was a boy," Penelope mumbled, looking down into her lap.

Elisa stared at her for a moment. "You what?"

"I... never felt quite right in my body, and being called a girl makes me uncomfortable. So one day, I dressed up as a boy, and I hid my hair and everything, and I went to a part of the city I hadn't been to before. Everyone there thought I was a real boy, and I realized how right it felt. I want to be a boy, Eli-" Penelope suddenly realized that her friend had vanished.

She turned and looked around to see the other girl making her way back to the main road, where their bikes were parked. She let out a sad sigh and looked back at the lake. Maybe what she had said was too weird for her friend to handle.

Penelope watched the sun set below the horizon before standing and heading back to her bike. She tried to call Elisa, but the other girl never picked up.

Penelope put her headphones on and headed home. She locked her bike up near the house and went inside, trying to be as quiet as possible - Megan and Kevin were both home from college for the summer, and she didn't want to wake anyone up. She crept to her room and quickly changed into pajamas before crawling into bed and going to sleep.

~~~

Penelope woke up the next morning to the sound of her mother banging on her door. She leapt out of bed and ran to open it, wondering what was going on. She saw Elisa standing beside Patricia and smirking, and her heart dropped into her stomach.

"Elisa tells me you want to be a boy," Penelope's mother said.

She nodded instinctively, not knowing why her oldest friend had betrayed her like this. It stung badly, though, and Penelope felt like she was going to be sick.

Patricia grabbed her arm and dragged her into the living room, where her stepfather sat on the couch, looking angry. "There's something wrong with you, Penelope, and we're going to fix it."

Penelope just glared at him, not wanting to speak. She knew that if she did, she would start yelling.

"There's this summer camp that we've heard about," Patricia added. "It'll make you back into a girl."

She let go of her daughter's arm and Penelope stomped off, feeling hurt and betrayed. She locked her door and flopped down onto the bed, sobbing. This wasn't fair. There wasn't anything wrong with her. Penelope looked up as the door opened.

Patricia held the key in her hand, looking angry. "Pack your things, Penny. You're going to the camp, whether you like it or not. I won't have you in my house being the way you are. It's wrong."

The blonde girl jumped up and began to throw her clothes into a bag, hoping her mom wouldn't notice that it was all a bunch of t-shirts and jeans. Her school uniform was a dress, and she absolutely hated it, so she wore masculine clothes whenever she could.

Patricia went to call the camp as Penelope packed up her hats, crying. She wasn't a freak. She knew she wasn't. The last pair of sneakers disappeared into her bags, and she tucked her journals in underneath everything. She wouldn't risk her mom finding the music she composed and destroying it.

Penelope double checked everything and dragged the bags out to the living room. Her stepfather took them out to the car, and she followed him.

~~~

They reached the camp several hours later, and Penelope grabbed her bags.

A counselor came over to her. "You must be Penelope. The rest of the campers won't be here until tomorrow, so you get first choice in the girls' cabin."

Penelope flinched, causing the counselor to smile cruelly. "Come on, let's get you settled in."

She followed the counselor, not wanting to let them see how scared she was.

Patricia got her checked in, and they left her to unpack her things. Penelope began to cry again, feeling alone. This wasn't fair.


	2. Short, Fast And Loud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank's POV

The car stopped outside the airport, and five teens crawled out - two girls and three boys. They stalked into the building, looking angry. The shortest of the boys led them over to the baggage check, sneakers scuffing against the marble floor.

Frank practically threw his bags at the woman on the other side of the counter. Gerard, Jamia, Mikey and Lindsey stood behind him, all looking angry. Mikey had never broken up with Pete from last summer, and the other four had never gotten into good little straight and monogamous relationships, so it was back to the camp in Illinois for the five of them.

He grabbed the plane tickets and led his friends to their gate, holding hands with Gerard and Jamia. Lindsey grabbed the other girl's hand, and Mikey trailed behind them.

"We just gotta get through the next three months, and then Lindsey and I will be free, and we can help you three get emancipated," Gerard said.

Frank nodded and looked up at his boyfriend. "I hope everything works out."

They made it to the gate, and claimed a row of seats. A couple moved away and dragged their kids with them.

Frank flipped them off and pulled Jamia into his lap. She giggled and leaned down to kiss Lindsey, who had her head in Gerard's lap. Frank grinned at them. Gerard leaned over and kissed Frank on the cheek.

"The plane's boarding, let's go." Lindsey bounced up and led the way.

~~~

The plane landed in Chicago a couple hours later, and the five of them headed off to the van they knew would be waiting.

Pete was waiting on the curb by the van, smoking a cigarette. Mikey ran over and hugged him tightly.

"Fucking freaks," the driver said as Frank, Jamia, Gerard and Lindsey climbed into the van.

Lindsey blew him a kiss and flopped down in a seat. Frank sat down beside her and kissed her cheek, which turned into them kissing.

Gerard and Jamia giggled at them and settled into a seat, cuddling each other.

Pete and Mikey got on, followed by the others from last summer - Sarah, Brendon, Ryan, Breezy and Dallon.

Jamia waved at the other girls and relaxed into Gerard's arms. Once everyone was on and settled in, the driver pulled out of the parking lot.

"Think there'll be anyone new this year?" Pete asked, holding Mikey's hand.

"There always is. You think Vic and Kellin will be there? Or Alex, Jack, and those guys?" Breezy said.

Frank sat up and looked over at his other partners. "Vic called me, he said he'll be there."

"They'll probably get flown in soon," Dallon said.

Frank looked over at them and smiled - the other group seemed to have formed into a relationship group similar to the one he was in.

Lindsey curled up against him and fell asleep. He ran his hands through her hair and watched out the window as fields of wheat went by.

~~~

By the time the van reached the camp, everyone was asleep. The driver honked the horn and they sat up, groaning.

Frank helped Lindsey and Jamia off the bus and looked back for Gerard. He sighed when he saw that his boyfriend was still fast asleep.

"Gee. Gee, babe, wake up," Frank said, shaking the taller boy gently. Gerard opened his eyes. "Let's get out of this damn van," Frank said. "And if you're lucky, I'll let you fuck me by the lake tonight." He went off to the girls' cabin, where he knew Jamia, Ryan, and Sarah would be. Gerard went off to the boys' cabin.

Frank slammed open the door to the cabin. "What's up, bitches? Who's down for an orgy by the lake tonight? They already hate us here, let's give 'em another reason."

A blonde girl that he didn't recognize jumped when he came in, and Frank looked at her.

"Who are you?" Sarah asked, looking curious.

"Pen-Patrick Stumph," the girl- no, boy - said.

"You're like us, then," Ryan said, smiling. He jumped down from his bunk and walked over. "I'm Ryan Ross."

"You're all girls who want to be boys, too?" Patrick asked.

Frank sighed. "You've got a lot to learn. We're not girls, we are boys."

"But isn't this camp meant to make people like me be normal again?"

"We are normal," Ryan said. "Just cause some people don't see us that way doesn't mean we aren't, y'know?"

Patrick nodded and looked at Sarah and Jamia. "What are you, then?"

"Oh, we aren't trans. We're both bisexual, though," Sarah said, glancing at Jamia for confirmation.

Patrick nodded again. "Alright. And is there anyone else here?"

The door opened to reveal Kellin, looking thinner than he had the year before. There were bags on his eyes and bruises on his skin.

Frank felt his heart drop - the other boy's parents must have gotten worse in the nine months since they'd seen each other. Jamia stood up and went over, wrapping the boy in a hug.

"This is Kellin," Frank said, feeling horrible.

Vic and the others were probably here too, if Kellin was, and he began to worry about them. Jamia and Sarah were trying to get Kellin to eat. They all knew that food was a privilege at the camp, and it got taken away if they acted too proud of the counselors. A girl with dyed-orange hair came in after Kellin, looking as scared as Patrick had when the group had found her in the cabin.

"This is Hayley, she's new." Kellin said. "She's a lesbian."

Frank went over to her and gave her a gentle hug. "I know what this camp is for, but you're safe to be yourself here in this cabin. That goes for you too, Patrick."

There was a knock at the door and Ryan opened it, revealing Lindsey, Vic, Pete, and Mikey.

Kellin pulled away from the girls and ran over to Vic, clinging to him. The Hispanic boy stroked his friend's hair and looked around. "Same crew as last year, then?" he asked.

Frank nodded. "Except for Hayley and Patrick." He indicated the new arrivals.

Vic smiled at them and looked at Frank. "They've already raided our cabin, so if you have anything you need to hide, hide it now."

Frank nodded, noticing that Pete was looking at Patrick in a way that Mikey didn't seem to like. He moved in front of him, obscuring the other boy from Pete's sight. "You already have someone, Wentz."

Pete glared at him and led Mikey away.

"Who was that?" Patrick asked, looking confused.

"That was Pete Wentz and Mikey Way. Oh, and that's Vic Fuentes, and Lindsey Ballato," Jamia said.

"Alex and Jack are here too, but Zack's... gone," Lindsey said.

Frank stared at her in shock. "You mean he's..." She nodded, looking sad.

"There's two new guys, too. Spencer and Jon." Vic added. "They'll be together by the end of the summer."

"If we're all still alive by then. When's dinner?" Frank asked, feeling sick to his stomach.

"Whenever y'all are ready, freaks," a voice said. Frank turned to see Linda, his least favorite of all the counselors. She smirked and peered into the cabin. "Ooh, two new freaks this year," she said. Hayley and Patrick flinched at her words.


	3. Time To Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brendon's POV

Brendon flopped down on his bunk, grinning at Dallon and Breezy. "I heard Frank mention an orgy by the lake, you guys up for it?" He noticed the two of them exchange a glance and sat up. "What's up?" He had been dating them both long enough to know that a look like that could mean trouble. "We were talking in the van, and Breezy and I want to go off on our own. We're breaking up with you, Ryan, and Sarah." Dallon said. Brendon just stared at them. "You're joking. Please be joking," he said, looking between the two of them. They looked away, and Brendon began to cry. He wasn't expecting anything like this to happen, especially not at the camp. Brendon stood up and stormed outside, slamming the cabin door behind him as he began to cry. He went to the "girls'" cabin and


End file.
